D U C T T E S T I N G : W H Y I S I T I M P O RTA N T ?

2006

he ducts that are part of central heating and cooling systems offer one of the
T best opportunities to increase your energy efficiency, increase your comfort,
and manage your energy bills. Studies indicate that 10%-30% of the heated or
cooled air is lost—along with the money spent to heat or cool that air—through
leaky ducts. Properly sized, installed, and sealed ductwork will make your heating
and cooling systems significantly more efficient.
Energy loss is not the only concern, however. Duct systems can also involve the
comfort of your family, employees, tenants, or customers, as well as your indoor air
quality. Testing the ducts will locate leaks or damage and focus repair work in the
right areas.
A properly operating heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system
will help reduce overall energy use—especially during hot summer days when air
conditioners are working harder and putting a strain on the electric system—and
will deliver greater comfort and cleaner air to every room.

T e c h n i c a l S h e e t
YOUR DUCT SYSTEM
In most residential and small commercial central heating and
cooling systems, the conditioned (heated or cooled) air is
delivered to each
room through
supply ducts and
returned through
the return duct
to the furnace or
air conditioner.
The condition of
both sections of
this ductwork is
vital to the over-
all efficiency of
your heating and
cooling system.
What can go wrong? In some buildings, air escapes through
poorly connected, disconnected, or deteriorated ducts, which
can result in little conditioned air actually reaching your living
or work space, leaving the area too warm or too cold. If the
return duct system is leaky, it could be drawing in outside,
stale, or polluted air and distributing it throughout the
building; this air could come from an attic, a crawl space,
or combustion air from a gas furnace, clothes dryer, stove, or
water heater. If the supply duct system is leaking, the building
can become depressurized, and air from outside may be drawn
in to the ducting and distributed into the building. Either
situation may decrease the quality of the indoor air. Research
performed in the last 10 to 15 years has established these facts,
and steadily increasing numbers of qualified HVAC
contractors are learning how to eliminate duct leakage.
How do you know if your duct system is in good condition? The
most reliable and cost-effective way to find out is to have a
duct test performed by a qualified contractor or technician
using the proper test equipment. Duct testing is the process
of using calibrated mechanical equipment to measure the
amount of airflow that is lost through the duct system when
it is at normal operating pressure. While some joints or seams
may have only small leaks, other sections may be completely
disconnected. Duct testing can indicate the relative leakiness
of the ducts and help determine whether the duct system
should be sealed, repaired, or renovated.
WHEN TO TEST
Duct testing is strongly recommended when a new heating
and/or air conditioning unit is being installed. If the existing
duct system is leaky and inefficient before the new unit is
installed, it will still be leaky and inefficient after the new unit
is installed—unless the ducts are tested and sealed by a
qualified contractor. It does not make sense to install a new,
energy-efficient heating and/or air conditioning unit unless
the duct system is also energy efficient.
Duct testing is also recommended when a diagnostic tune-up
is performed on a heating and air conditioning unit. A
diagnostic tune-up can improve the operating efficiency of
the heating or air conditioning unit itself, but the overall
efficiency will still be less than adequate if the duct system is
not in good condition. A duct test is necessary to determine
leaks, needed repairs, and/or renovations.
Duct testing can be performed at any time, however, whether
or not new energy efficiency equipment is being installed. It is
not unusual to find that sealing, repair, or renovation must be
performed to complement a comprehensive HVAC installa-
tion.
TESTING METHODS AND EQUIPMENT
There are two main methods of testing. The pressurization
subtraction method utilizes a pressurization unit (i.e. a high-
powered fan set up in a doorway and connected to pressure
gauges) to pressurize first the entire space that is heated and/or
cooled and then the same space with the duct system blocked
off. This method is less accurate than the duct testing method.
The duct testing method uses a calibrated fan that gently
pressurizes the ducts and measures the airflow through the
ducts to indicate total leakage. The duct tester consists of a
portable fan with calibrated digital pressure gauges that is
connected at the blower compartment of the air handler, or
attached to the main return grill. All of the duct registers and
grills are temporarily sealed, and the duct tester fan is turned
on to pressurize the system. The fan pressure is read from the
gauges and converted to an equivalent duct leakage rate in
cubic feet per minute (cfm). If the amount of air loss falls
outside acceptable limits, sealing will be required to correct
the condition. This method of testing is preferred, because it
measures low airflow accurately, and simulates what takes
place under normal operating conditions.
 which requires duct leakage to be reduced by 15% of the
pre-work leakage found. In every case the closer to zero
leakage attained, the better your duct system will perform.

Sealing
Duct sealing involves following established procedures and
applying approved materials to seal air leaks. Locations where
sealing is typically performed include the supply and return
plenums (which are connected to the furnace cabinet), starting
collars (where ducts are connected to the plenums), fittings in
the duct runs (Ys, where ducts branch off, and elbows), splices
within the duct run, and terminations where the ducts
connect to the supply registers. The most important leakage
areas are in the supply and return plenums, because these areas
are closest to the air handler and under the highest pressures
when the system is operating.

All sealing must be performed according to Title 24 building

codes and any related energy efficiency program standards.
These codes and standards address the type of mastic sealant,
pressure sensitive tape, and drawbands used to correctly seal
TESTING PROCEDURE duct systems. Your contractor should be familiar with and
What should you expect when a contractor performs a duct follow the standards and codes for duct sealing. The proper
test at your home or business? The test should take about an materials are becoming more available, and “good old-
hour from initial setup to completion. You may be present fashioned cloth duct tape” should never be substituted. The
while the test is being conducted, although the heating and proper tape used
air conditioning system must be shut off during testing. A for duct sealing will
properly conducted test will not damage your heating or air have a “UL 181”
conditioning system or your building. marking or label on
the outside surface
The contractor will have to attach the duct tester to the of the tape, and the
blower compartment of the air handler or the main return proper duct mastic
grill using masking tape. Next the supply registers and any sealant will have a
remaining return grills must be taped closed. After the duct UL 181 label on
system is temporarily sealed, the duct tester fan will be turned the product
on to pressurize the duct system to a predetermined level container.
(usually 25 Pascals, which is 0.1 inches of water column), and
the contractor will adjust the gauges until the pressure level is Repair
stabilized. The contractor then records the fan pressure and Duct system repair involves reconnecting parts that have
converts this to a fan flow in cubic feet per minute. The become separated, and replacing or repairing any damaged
results will show how leaky your duct system is and help you or missing component parts, which could include flexible
and your contractor decide whether sealing or repair work is metallic and non-metallic “plastic flex” ducts, rigid metal
necessary. ducts, sheet metal duct components, duct supports, register
boots, and registers.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE RESULTS
If the test indicates the leakage is greater than acceptable, the
ducts should be sealed, repaired, or renovated (replaced). The
threshold is set by the October 2005 Title 24 Building Code,
 Renovation
DUCT PROBLEMS Duct renovation should be performed if the duct system is
in poor condition or improperly sized. Renovation involves
replacing a significant portion of the ductwork, either to
restore it to proper operation or to increase the capacity of the
return air ducting. Some systems have return ducts that are
too small, causing whistling filters, noisy ducts, and reduced
Ripped energy efficiency. If size is not the problem, often only a
Outer Cover portion of the ductwork needs replacement. But if the entire
duct system needs to be replaced, your contractor must
correctly size the ducts and registers to ensure that the new
Peeling ductwork will provide the most comfort and greatest energy
Duct Tape efficiency.

RELATED FACT SHEETS

No Drawband
• A Whole-System Approach to Heating and Cooling
• Heating • Cooling • Heat Pump • What Is HVAC
System Sizing? • Air Conditioner Refrigerant Charge and
Airflow • Buying a Central Air Conditioner? Ask for a
TXV! • Buying an Air Conditioner? Remember the EER!

For more information about energy efficiency and

Uncertain
other PG&E energy management solutions: visit
R-Value
www.pge.com

Residential customers call the Smarter Energy Line at

(800) 933-9555

Exposed Metal Business customers call the Business Customer Service

Center at (800) 468-4743
Unlabeled
Duct Tape This Technical Sheet is provided for your general information and is not intended as a
recommendation or endorsement of any particular product or company. Funding for
this Technical Sheet is provided by California utility customers and administered by
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, under the auspices of the California Public
Utilities Commission.

C-1304
© 2006 Pacific Gas and Electric Company
E Printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink